Thomas Boyd, The OregonianThe Timbers used their first-ever MLS pick to select Darlington Nagbe in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft. The Timbers coaching staff and general manager are in Florida this weekend evaluating players at the 2012 MLS Combine in advance of the 2012 MLS SuperDraft.

With Major League Soccer's 2012 SuperDraft just days away, the Portland Timbers brain trust continues to evaluate players at the MLS Combine.

The Timbers, with the eighth overall pick in Thursday's draft, are taking a long look at the more than 60 college and foreign players competing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Those players an engaged in a five-day effort to increase their stock and value in front of the Timbers and decision-makers from the other 18 MLS teams.

The Timbers coaches and scouts have seen most of the college players during the collegiate season, but they'll use this four-day event that began Friday to confirm what they already knew or potentially uncover a previously unheralded player.

"We've got a list of players that we think can help us and give us more depth on the squad - that's three or four positions on our team," said Gavin Wilkinson, Timbers general manager. "When we get to our eighth pick, we're going to pick the best player available at the position."

With the eighth pick, the Timbers know they're not going to be able to select someone like Darlington Nagbe, the team's first-ever SuperDraft pick and the second overall pick of the 2011 draft. In fact, the Timbers are also using the combine to help them determine if they will keep the pick or trade it away.

"There may be a situation where if its a player that we love, we may trade to move into a higher spot," Wilkinson said. "But if there is no one that we feel can help us, we're not against trading away the spot."

Wilkinson, head coach John Spencer and assistant coaches Amos Magee and Mike Toshack watched the first set of game competition at the combine Friday afternoon, with the second set scheduled for today. Magee said Darren Mattocks, the highly regarded forward out of the University of Akron (the same school that produced Nagbe), played well Friday.

"He's got a lot of pace. He's pretty explosive," Magee said. "He did nothing to disappoint people in terms of potentially being the first pick of the draft."

The expansion Montreal Impact is expected to select Mattocks with the first overall pick and unless the Timbers - if they were interested - are willing to trade up, Mattocks will be long gone before the eighth pick. Mattocks leads a strong group of forwards at the combine, but the Timbers - with Kenny Cooper, Jorge Perlaza, Jose Adolfo Valencia, Bright Dike, Eddie Johnson and recently signed Brent Richards - are loaded at the position.

Central defender is a position the Timbers would like to add some depth and Internet speculation has focused on Matt Hedges, a defender from North Carolina.

"He's got a great athletic upside. He's big, strong and fast," Magee said after watching Hedges Friday. "He's got a lot of room to grow, but the athletic upside with the kid is very good. He's somebody that we'll take a good long look at this week and see where it goes."

Another player the Timbers will look is Duke defender/midfielder Andrew Wenger, who won the Hermann Trophy, awarded to the top college player in the nation. Wenger is participating in the U.S. U-23 mens national team training this week and is not competing at the combine. Louisville defender Austin Berry will be another player in the Timbers' sights.

"You get a chance to see if a player is capable of doing certain things (in the combine) because the level of play can be higher than what he saw in college," Magee said. "You have preconceived notions based on the scouting and watching them play can answer some possible question marks."

The play on the first day is usually disjointed as the players, thrown together in less than 24 hours, learn to play with each other. The evaluators, knowing play will improve, will be keenly interested in today's play during Day 2 of game competition.

"The first day is a little uneven," Magee said. "The second day (today) is usually the best and by the third day (the players) are pretty tired."

Last year, the 2011 SuperDraft began with Vancouver's surprising decision to select forward Omar Salgado with first overall pick. Nagbe, who was expected to go first, fell to the Timbers. The Timbers made a couple of trades amid a flurry deals by other teams during the day.

"As we found out last year, the draft gets pretty wild and wacky," Magee said. "You want to be as prepared as you can possibly be."